Missing Scene  Slither
by kgar
Summary: What happens to Rick and A.J. between the diner scene and the next morning at the police station.
1. Introduction

Missing Scenes

I love fan fiction but have never written anything before. I was recently able to watch much of the Simon and Simon series because of Netflix. I forgot how much I loved it but, I was amazed at how many times the brothers bounced right back from situations that they shouldn't have. The show begs to have the blanks filled in. And so, I am going to try and tackle that job. I haven't been able to find a lot of fan fiction for this show on the internet. I would rather read it than write it. Hopefully, they won't be too awful. Any constructive input is greatly appreciated. I intend for these to be one shots. If there is a show you want me to watch and write for let me know and I'll try to move onto that one next.


	2. Slither, Missing Scene Part 1

This is a missing scene for the episode Slither. I actually did some research on Angel Dust before writing this. Angel Dust was first used for PCP. A.J.'s reaction to the drug indicated a large overdose, not just a recreational amount of the drug. I felt this warranted some exploration as to what that night might have been like for A.J. and for Rick.

Disclaimer – Not my characters or show and I don't get paid. Also, I don't have a beta. While I am serious about my love for fanfic, I am not serious about writing. I expect that I have many grammatical errors. I don't mind you pointing it out but please no flames. This is my first attempt at writing. Please be nice. Oh and I try to put the thought in _italics._

"Call an ambulance!"

"_I just choked out my brother! How could I do that? What if I hurt him? Is he still breathing?"_ Rick's thoughts raced in panic. _"If I am going to help him I have to calm down enough to think."_

Rick rolled out from under the unconscious A.J. to check his breathing and sighed in relief.

"I need some help here!" Rick called out, realizing that if A.J. came to that he would need help holding him down. "Did someone call that ambulance? We also need the police; don't touch anything on our table, there may be evidence."

"Sir, I called an ambulance," the manager called out as he came out of the kitchen door. "What else can I do?"

"Just sit here by his feet" Rick replied "I think he was slipped some drugs and if he comes to I want to try to restrain him without hurting him."

Now that he had taken the necessary steps to get help for A.J. Rick's panic started to return. Rick propped A.J.'s upper body in his arms, using his arms to hold down A.J.'s. _"Is that my heart I feel racing or A.J.'s?"_

Just as A.J. started to stir the paramedics came into the diner with a stretcher.

"Sir, you are going to have to let go" Rick reluctantly gave up his position on the floor with A.J. and began answering their questions. "No, nothing to eat, he just had coffee, I think he was slipped something. He has never had mental problems before." He watched the paramedics out of the corner of his eye as they took A.J's vitals and strapped him into the stretcher.

"Rick, what is going on here?" demanded Brown as his walked into the diner.

"I don't have time to explain, I have to go with A.J." Rick replied

"I'll take you to the hospital in the squad car as soon as you tell me what happened. Rick, I need to know so we can process this scene." Brown said compassionately.

"Sir, we have to go now, your brother's blood pressure and heart rate are rising. It would be better if you came to the hospital in another vehicle." Interrupted one of the paramedics as they wheeled A.J. out the door

"Two minutes Town, that is all you get. Ask away!" Rick said impatiently

"Just give me a quick summary of what you think happened here, Rick"

"Here is the short version, we found the runaway, she was coming down off of something, we brought her here for coffee and…" Rick stopped as he heard screaming coming from outside the diner. A.J. had woken up and was fighting the straps as he was loaded in the ambulance. "Town, I have to go now!"

"Rick, just finish, I know this is hard, we will be right behind them."

"We were talking and A.J. just freaked out. He was hallucinating. He was so afraid of me Town, that he grabbed a plastic knife and tried to stab me. I had to choke him out." Rick's voice broke as he finished.

"Just one more question, Rick." Town said softly. "Nixon is here and I need him to process the scene. We need to know where you were sitting so we can check for prints and test the contents of his coffee."

Rick just pointed and walked out of the diner.

Town looked at Nixon, "Clear this place out but, check everyone's I.D. first. Make sure you take extra time with the staff. Don't miss anything."

"You got it Lieutenant." Nixon replied "Tell Rick we are pulling for A.J. Please let us know what is happening as soon as you can."

Rick was silent as Town caught up to him at his squad car. He turned on the siren and lights to speed their trip to the hospital.

"Rick? Hey, Rick! Look at me man! A.J. will be fine. He got help right away." Rick just nodded slowly as he continued to look out the window.

Rick was out the door before Town had a chance to fully stop at the E.R. entrance. He ran to the desk. "A.J. Simon, my brother, where is he, can I see him, how is he?" Rick fired off the questions in a panic.

"Please slow down for a minute sir," replied the nurse behind the desk. "Is your brother the young man that just came in as a possible drug overdose?" Rick just nodded. "The doctor asked to see you as soon as you arrived. Follow me and I will let him know that you are here."

Rick followed the nurse down the hall to the trauma rooms. "Please wait here." She motioned to a chair next to a door as she entered that room. Rick sat down and rested his head in his hands.

"Mr. Simon?" Rick looked up to an outstretched hand; He reached up and shook it as he stood. "Rick" he replied.

"Rick, I am Doctor O'Daly, I have some questions for you. I know this is difficult and I am sorry that I don't have much to tell you at this time. Your brother was conscious in the ambulance but, is currently unconscious. We are trying to determine what happened so we know how to treat him. Anything you can tell me would help us to help him. How sure are you that A.J. was drugged and not having another problem?"

"100%" replied Rick

"We don't know if it would help to pump his stomach. When was the last time he ate?"

"He ate a piece of toast early this morning" Rick replied "He just had coffee at the diner. I assume that is how he ingested the drugs"

"How long ago do you think he finished the coffee?"

Rick looked at his watch, surprised at how little time had passed when it seemed to be moving in slow motion. "About 20 minutes, I guess"

"OK, so no stomach pump. His stomach has emptied by now. Do you know what he was given and can you describe his reaction"

Rick tried to remain emotionally detached as he thought back to the diner. Was A.J. drinking the coffee while he was telling the story or had he already finished it? Missing details wouldn't help A.J. "No, but I imagine it was a common street drug of some sort. He started hallucinating right away after drinking the coffee. It quickly turned to fear and violence. He tried to stab me with a plastic knife. I had to choke him out so he wouldn't hurt himself or anyone else." Exhausted by the effort of retelling the event, Rick collapsed back into the chair.

"I am waiting on some blood test results. I suspect your brother received a very large dose of PCP." Explained the doctor. "If we can wait, we don't want to give him too much medication before we are certain what we are dealing with. I already have him on.."

They were interrupted by a nurse, "Doctor, he is waking up."

Rick followed the doctor into the room, hoping he wouldn't be evicted. He bent over at the waist and put his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. He had been frightened before, but thought surely he had been overeating to a very stressful situation. What he saw told him otherwise. It seemed that every part of A.J. was being monitored. There were leads from his chest, arms and legs to a cardiac monitor, a blood pressure cuff, an oxygen sensor and leads from his head to what Rick could only assume was a machine monitoring his brain. While he wasn't surprised by the restraints, it was still difficult to see A.J. tied down to the bed.

Rick attempted to drown out the other noises in the room and focus on A.J.'s face. "A.J. come on back buddy. Wake up and talk to me." A.J.'s eyes opened but, didn't he seem to be able to focus. "Mom, get Rick out of my room" he mumbled. "A.J. hey, Mom's not here, we aren't in your room." "Rick, go away or I'll get dad."

Rick looked at the doctor with concern but the doctor was watching the monitors as they began to sound the alarm at A.J's rising heart rate and blood pressure. Rick looked back at A.J. face in time to see his eye's roll back as his body became rigid. "He's seizing again" yelled the doctor. "Get him out of this room."

Rick froze in place _"Again"_he thought. The nurse grabbed his arm and ushered him out of the room with a request that he return to the waiting room. _"Sure, I am staying right here lady, try and stop me."_He sat in the chair hoping to go unnoticed as he tried to listen to what was going on in the room.

"Where are those blood results?"

"Put him on a dextrose solution."

"Dilantin"

"Valium"

More alarms went off as Rick covered his ears, not wanting to hear anymore.

"Get the crash cart!"

"He is going into respiratory arrest!"


	3. Slither, Missing Scene Part 2

"Excuse me, I am Lieutenant Brown and I am looking for Rick Simon. I didn't see him in the waiting area?"

"Let me check for you" replied the receptionist as she picked up the phone. "I'm looking for Rick Simon. Uh-huh. There is a police officer looking for him. O.K."

"Sir, Mr. Simon is back talking to the doctor and should be out shortly, you can take a seat."

"Thanks"

Despite his reassurances to Rick, Town was worried for his friend. He had been on too many calls in his years on the force that ended with a young person dead from an overdose.

He checked his watch…5 minutes…and started tapping his foot.

He checked his watch again…10 minutes…and stood up to pace.

He checked his watch one more time…15 minutes…and starting walking up to the desk when the receptionist called out. "Rick Simon"

"He isn't here waiting room" he informed her.

"Oh, he has to fill out this admission paperwork for his brother; he should have been back by now."

"If you don't mind, I can start filling it out until he get's back." Town took the clipboard but, he didn't return to the waiting room. Instead, he walked down the hall in search of Rick. He turned the corner and stopped short. _" A.J.'s dead!" _his only thought.

The room behind him had gone quiet. No monitors screaming or doctors yelling orders. Rick thought after Vietnam that he would be able to hold it together no matter the circumstance. He didn't count on hearing his own brother die in the next room. _"He's dead, what am I going to tell Mom?"_ Rick knew he was losing it. _"He's dead, I am going to throw up, he's dead, he's dead, he's dead." _

Town wanted to turn around and walk away so he wouldn't have to accept the death of his friend but, he had another friend that needed him. The Rick in the chair was a Rick he had never seen before.

"Rick?" Town placed his hand on his friends shoulder to get his attention. Rick looked up at him.

"A.J. is dead, I heard my brother die. How am I going to tell Mom?"

"What happened? Has the doctor spoken to you?" Town asked.

"No" Rick put his face back in his hands.

"I'll get some answers," Town rapped on the door to A.J.'s room and held his badge up, then sighed in relief. "Rick, they are still working on him, A.J.'s not dead." No response, "Rick? Did you hear me?"

The doctor came to the door. "Yes?"

"I am Lieutenant Brown, can I ask Mr. Simon's condition."

"Rick" the doctor admonished, "you were supposed to return to the waiting room."

"Is he dead?" Rick croaked out.

"No, no, we stabilized him. I have every reason to believe your brother will make a full recovery."

"Can I see him?"

"Not yet, give me around twenty minutes to finish up and I will come get you. Why don't you return to the waiting room and fill out that paperwork."

Town helped Rick to his feet and took him by the arm to guide him back to the waiting room chairs, careful to turn him away from A.J.'s trauma room. Something seemed to have broken in his friend and Town hoped he snapped out of it soon.

After a few minutes Rick's body gave up the fight to stay awake. Town carefully pulled the pen and clipboard from his lap and finished the paperwork.


	4. Slither, Missing Scene Part 3

A half and hour later Town was nudging Rick awake. "Rick, wake up man, the doctor is coming."

"Huh, Town, where are we, Oh," Rick took a minute to orient himself. _A.J., overdose, hospital, screaming monitors_. "A.J. is not dead?"

Town was relieved. The short nap helped Rick return to himself. "No, Rick, A.J. is still stable, but the doctor is coming to talk to you. I have to check in with Nixon at the station, I'll be around if you need me."

Rick stood as the doctor approached, "I want to see my brother!" He tried to speak with determination, but felt like all the came out was his desperation.

"Walk with me Rick; we have moved your brother to a room. I wanted a chance to talk to you before you saw him."

"What do you need to tell me?"

"He is still stable," the doctor told him as they stepped into the elevator. "I want to assure you that his condition should begin to improve rapidly before the end of the day but he is in critical condition so we are monitoring him in the ICU."

As the elevator doors opened to ICU and the doctor stepped out, Rick hesitated. He didn't want to know what his brother looked like in critical condition. He followed the doctor to the nurse's station. "Diane, did you check Mr. Simon's room for a chair?" The doctor asked the nurse behind the desk.

"Yes, I did" she replied and turned her attention to Rick. "I'll be the nurse monitoring your brother until 10:00. Please let me know if you need anything or have any questions." Rick nodded his thanks.

The doctor motioned to a room and they walked in together. For the second time that day Rick felt like he had the wind knocked out of him. A.J. was completely motionless except for the movement caused by the ventilator forcing air into his lungs. "Wha.. What… Why is he like that?" he whispered as the doctor guided him to sit in the chair. "I don't understand. Why.. How did this happen?"

"Rick, I will give you as much information as you feel comfortable hearing," explained the doctor. "It's up to you. I can explain everything that happened or just give you basic information about his treatment.

Rick didn't know if he wanted to hear it all. He kept hearing those monitor alarms. "I need to know. Give me everything, please, from the beginning. "

"Your brother arrived in the E.R., unconscious due to the seizure he suffered in the ambulance. We gave him a small dose of an anti seizure medication and a mild sedative but, as I explained, we were hoping to get blood test results before further treatment. The blood test did confirm he had been given PCP. Treating the symptoms of PCP overdose can be a challenge because it is both a depressant and a stimulant. A moderate overdose can cause an increase in heart rate and blood pressure. When you left his room in the E.R. we were dealing with that problem. We had to give him such high doses of tranquilizers that it started to affect his ability to breath and he went into respiratory arrest. At a higher dose PCP can depress breathing and lower heart rate and blood pressure. This started to happen as more of the drug was absorbed from his intestines. So both the drugs we were giving him and the PCP were now depressing his cardiovascular and respiratory systems and he stopped breathing. We knew that drugs that could bring his heart rate back up might set off more seizures so we decided to put him in a drug induced coma. This stopped the seizures, we were able to get him on a ventilator and give him medications that would help regulate his heart rate and blood pressure. Any questions?"

Rick sat with his head in his hands staring at A.J. He was afraid to ask but, he had to know for sure, "How long was A.J. without oxygen?"

"Oh, no, not very long at all," assured the doctor. "Let me explain what we are doing for him now?"

Rick nodded

"Once we bring him out of the coma most of these medical devices will go away. Right now the only medications we are giving him are the ones keeping him in the coma. If necessary we will give him something for his heart rate but, I think we are in the clear for that. We are monitoring his brain with an EEG to make sure he is stays in the coma until we are ready to bring him out. That will have to stay for a while to monitor for seizures. The ng tube in his nose is running into his stomach. We are giving him activated charcoal. This binds to PCP and helps move it out of the body. We are also giving him a nutritional liquid. We will stop that long before we wake him but, but leave the tube in until he is fully awake. The contraption on his legs helps prevent blood clots. They will deflate and inflate at set intervals to help A.J.'s blood keep moving while he is immobile. The cardiac monitor is watching potential heart damage. A.J. is young and in excellent shape so we are confident that his heart is fine. He is unable to breathe on his own right now due to the drugs we are giving him. The ventilator will be doing all the work until we start to bring him out of the coma and then it will assist him until he is breathing on his own. We will have to leave that on until he is awake for a while.

"Good luck with that – A.J. is the most stubborn man I know." Rick began to relax a bit as he started to understand what was happening to his brother.

The doctor grimaced, "We are going to have to put the restraints back on, not just so he doesn't mess with the ventilator but, we don't know what his state of mind will be."

"When do you expect to wake him up?" Rick asked.

"We won't leave him in the coma for very long. We will stop the drugs soon but, it will take a while for him to wake up. I can't emphasize enough that we expect your brother to make a full recovery but, we are dealing with a unique situation. If he was a regular drug user with a typical overdose, I could tell you what to expect. A.J. is not a drug user and he received a very large overdose. The only treatment we have is to continue to protect your brother's body from damage until the PCP is completely out of his system. He may have no more problems by tomorrow morning or he may have some symptoms that come and go for up to several weeks."

"_I hope there isn't something he is holding back to make me feel better. Shoot I've been an investigator too long when I start suspecting the doctor of deceiving me." _Rick thought. "Can I stay here with him?"

"A.J. may still be a bit agitated when we wake him up so it would be good for you to be here then but, right now I recommend you get some rest. He won't be moving for several hours."

Rick wanted to fight the doctor but, he resisted that urge, he was right. Rick hadn't slept in over 30 hours and he needed to make some calls. "Is there a place I can make a phone call?"

"There is a phone in the waiting room; you are welcome to sleep on the couch so you can stay close by. Don't worry; Diane will come get you if there is any change in your brothers' condition."

"_Don't worry, that's all I can do is worry!"_ Rick thought as he walked to the waiting room


	5. Slither, Missing Scene Part 4

"_Ok, you can do this; you have to do it eventually."_ Rick took a deep breath and picked up the phone to call his mother and ended up dialing the police station. _"Chicken!"_

"Can I speak to Town please?"

"Hold please."

"This is Lieutenant Brown speaking."

"Hey Town, do you have any answers?"

"Um, they just put the report on my desk. No hit's from the prints on A.J.'s cup; just A.J. and the waitress. They did find traces of PCPP in the cup. They have more prints to run but, that will take a couple of days. How is A.J. doing?"

"Still stable," Rick didn't want to say more so he changed the subject. "Can you call Phoebe's parents and give them an update but, tell them not to talk to mom about what happened I want to be the one to tell her."

Rick hung up the phone and felt compelled to check on A.J. again before sleeping. He stood in the doorway to his room, watching the monitors.

"Rick," He jumped in surprise as he felt a hand on his arm. "If there are any changes at all, I will come get you." Diane comforted him, "Go rest. He will need to see a familiar face when he wakes up."

"Rick, Rick, wake up, it's time. The doctor stopped the drugs about an hour ago and we are starting to see some spikes on A.J.'s EEG." Diane said as she shook his shoulder. "It may take a couple more hours for him to wake up completely. But, I thought you would want to sit with him. The doctor should be back to check on him again in 5 or 10 minutes."

Rick walked with the nurse back to A.J.'s room. _"He still looks the same to me. Just keep reminding yourself Rick, he will be fine, he will be o.k. Hold it together Rick; falling apart will do no good."_ Seeing A.J. in ICU made Rick feet like he was living in a nightmare. _"The last time I had a nightmare that scared me this much, I ended up shot by A.J.'s look alike."_

Rick pulled the chair up beside A.J.'s bed and squeezed his hand, hoping for a response. _"I'll just sit here and try not to think until the doctor comes."_

"Hey there Rick, I am glad to see that you got some rest. Let's check on our patient. See this." Dr. O'Daly showed Rick the EEG. "His brain is becoming more active. Let's turn this vent off and see if A.J. decides it is time to breathe on his own."

Rick tried to will his brother to breath. Nothing. The alarm on cardiac monitor went off as A.J.'s oxygen stats started to drop. Dr. O'Daly turned the ventilator back on. He turned and saw Rick's worried expression. "Don't worry, I didn't expect anything yet. I'll check back in another 20 minutes. Just relax and talk to him. It may help him wake up more quickly."

"_I can handle that." _Rick was glad to have something to think about. What story would he start with first? "Remember when you were 10 and I told you mom threw out your….." He was searching for his fifth story when Dr. O'Daly walked back into the room.

"Hi, Rick. I'm not going to take him off the ventilator this time; I am just going to change the settings. If he starts to take a breath on his own the vent will kick in to make sure he is taking in enough air. If he doesn't take a breath in time it will do all the work for him. He may appear to struggle some when the vent takes over but, it shouldn't bother him as he is still pretty sedated. His body has been through a lot so we don't really know how long it will take for him to fully wake up and what his condition will be when he does."

Rick frowned, "I thought you said he would be fine."

"Yes, we do believe that. I just don't have a timeline for his recovery. I'll be back to check on him again in about 30 minutes."

As the doctor left, A.J. nurse walked into his room. "Why don't you take a break and give me a chance to clean your brother up a bit. We want him to feel as good as possible when he wakes up. Besides, there is someone is the waiting room that wants to talk to you."

Rick was actually grateful for an excuse to leave his brother's room. It was difficult to remember that A.J.'s prognosis was good while a machine was breathing for him.

"Hi Town," Rick greeted his friend.

"I figured you could use some company but, they wouldn't let me back. I didn't realize A.J. was in the ICU. Has he gotten worse?"

"No, they had to put him in a coma to control the seizures. They are letting him wake up now. Once he is awake I think they will move him to a regular room."

"Is your mom here yet?"

Rick looked away with some guilt, "No, I just can't do it, Town. A.J. looked so bad when I first saw him. I know he is supposed to be fine but it is so hard to remember that when I am looking at him in that bed. I can't put her through that. I call her sometime after he wakes up."

"I talked to.. Oh, wait, here, I brought you a couple of chili dogs. Why don't you eat them and I'll give you a summary of what is going on with Phoebe."

"Thanks, I could use some good food." Rick smiled, thinking about how A.J. would respond to hearing Rick call a chili dog good food.

"I talked to Phoebe's parents. We can call the incident at the diner a kidnapping so I can put more cops on it. I can't compromise the investigation we already have going down there but, I have some people staking out the area you found her. They will grab her if they see her." Town gave a surprised laugh, "Wow, that was fast."

"I didn't realize I was so hungry. I should get back to A.J."

"Call the station if you need me and they will find me. I am hoping I'll be able to stop by and see A.J. once he wakes up tonight."

Rick turned before entering through the doors back into the ICU. "Town, thanks - really".

"_He's going to be ok, He's going to be ok. I just have to keep reminding myself of that. Please wake up A.J." _ Rick scooted his chair to A.J.'s bed, took his hand and squeezed. "A.J. if you can hear me please squeeze my hand." Nothing.

"Rick, Rick, wake up!" Rick looked up and saw Dr. O'Daly. "A.J. is starting to open his eyes. Can you talk to him for me while I check him out?"

"A.J., come on open those eyes and look at me. A.J. slowly opened his eyes but closed them and went back to sleep. "A.J. wake back up," Rick looked at the doctor. "He's not responding to me."

"It's ok; it's just taking him a bit longer than we hoped for him to wake up. I am not happy that the ventilator is still doing most of his breathing, but I don't have a reason to be concerned about that yet. He just needs a little more time," The doctor encouraged. "His EEG shows that he is out of the coma so I am going to send him down for a CAT scan."

Had the doctor told him about that earlier? "Why does he need a CAT scan?"

"We don't think we will find any problems but, it is something we need to do, just to be sure. Any number of things that A.J. experienced today are capable of causing damage to his brain."

"Can I go with him?"

"You could ride in the elevator with him if you wanted to but that's as far as you can go so there is no real reason to leave the ICU. It won't take long and we will bring him right back. I'll be back here to talk to you as soon as he is finished." Dr. O'Daly left the room.

Rick felt like with every encouragement there was a piece of bad news about what could go wrong. "A.J. help me out here and wake up. I need a reason to stop worrying. Maybe it really is time to close up shop."

Rick heard footsteps and looked up to see Diane enter the room.

"You can stay if you want to. I'm just going to be getting him ready for his CAT scan. Dr. O'Daly said we can get rid of some of these wires. Let's get these inflatable leg coverings off first." Diane chatted as she worked so Rick would know what was happening to his brother. "He is starting to move around a bit. He also said he can get rid of this heart monitor. I'm just going to detach and cap the ng tube, which will stay in for now." Diane moved to A.J.'s head to remove the sensors attached to the EEG. "He will probably be reattached to the EEG when he returns. This is a portable vent and it will do all of his breathing for him. The doctor does want to see what he does if we leave it off for a minute while we are changing from one to the other. Do you want to stay for that?"

"_As long as he breathes this time." _Rick thought as he nodded at the nurse to go ahead.

"A.J. I'm Diane. Do me a favor and breathe for me." She turned off the ventilator and unhooked it from the tube going into A.J.'s mouth.

Diane raised her voice. "A.J. can you hear me, wake up and take a breath." Diane started to reach for the portable ventilator.

Rick couldn't take it. He put his face next to A.J.'s head and yelled. A.J. Simon wake up right now!" A.J. eyes popped open. "A.J. can you breath for me. Take a breath little brother" A.J. started to gag and struggle.

Diane stepped in, "Relax A.J. and try to breath for me. Take a breath. Good job. Can you take a deeper breath? A.J.'s eyes started to droop once more. "You did good A.J. go back to sleep." Diane hooked up the portable vent up and turned it on. A.J. eyes opened back up in surprise as the vent took over for him again. "It's ok A.J., go back to sleep."

Rick felt drained. Diane touched his arm, "You did great, Rick! Why don't you take a break; A.J. won't be gone long."

"I'm going to make a couple of calls."

"I'll let the doctor know to look for you in the waiting room when he returns."

Rick sat down in the waiting room and wearily dialed the number. "Mr. Glass this is Rick Simon. A.J. should be fine. Yes, I'll call mom soon. I am so sorry that we lost Phoebe. The police are looking for her and I will be back out to help them as soon as I can. If you hear anything from her, please call Lieutenant Brown and he will know how to get in touch with me. Yes, thank you, I'll let him know."

Rick thumbed thru the magazines to trying to find a distraction from his worry and thoughts about how angry his mom would be that he hadn't called. He glanced at his watch. 6pm. Was it really only 5 hours ago that A.J. had overdosed?


	6. Slither, Missing Scene Part 5

Hi everyone. Thanks for reading and giving me some nice reviews. Sorry this is taking so long to finish. I never imagined when I started that it would turn out to be this long. I am having trouble with the transition between a couple of scenes but, I think I may have it figured out so it should be finished in the next week. I hope you enjoy this next installment. Please let me know if you do.

* * *

Dr. O'Daly walked in to the waiting room and took a seat. "Good news, the CAT scan was clear. A.J. is being moved back to his room. Why don't we stay out here while they get him settled. The neurologist will be in to evaluate him shortly and help us find the right seizure medication and dosage to give him. Do you have any questions before we go check on your brother?"

Rick shook his head. He didn't want to talk about or be reminded of his brother's seizures. He just wanted to get back to A.J's room.

Rick followed the doctor into the room and was happy to see A.J's eyes open.

Diane pulled the doctor aside and whispered. "I think he may have had a short seizure while we were changing the vent; before he was hooked back up to the EEG." The doctor frowned and moved to the head of A.J.'s bed.

"Let's check you out shall we. A.J., I am Doctor O'Daly. Rick is right here with us. You're still letting that vent do your breathing for you. We need you to start working on that. O'Daly kept up the chatter as he shined a light in A.J.'s eyes. "A.J. I am squeezing your hand. Can you squeeze my hand? Squeeze my hand A.J." A.J. blinked a few times and squeezed the doctor's hand. "Good job." A.J.'s eyes started to close. "A.J. I know you are tired but, we need you to work on staying awake. Can you move your fingers and toes for me?" A.J. complied. "Good!" Rick was surprised and concerned that A.J. was not fighting the ventilator. "Now, when I count to three take a deep breath for me." The doctor was careful to time it with the rhythm of the ventilator. "One, two, three, breathe." As A.J. took a breath he roused enough to become aware of the tube in his throat and started to fight the restraints.

Rick hurt for A.J. but, was also relieved that his brother looked like he was coming around. He moved into A.J.'s line of vision and tried to help calm him. "A.J. I'm right here, relax and keep breathing. Don't try to talk. You're on a respirator. Just relax and breathe, relax and breathe. Breathe with me A.J. You can do it. Breathe with me." As soon as A.J. relaxed he went back to sleep.

Rick looked to the doctor. "That was great Rick. Let's give him a break and watch how he does for the next 30 minutes or so."

Rick sat and watched A.J. breathe; unconsciously holding his breath until his brother took one. Occasionally, the ventilator would have to give him some extra help. After about twenty minutes, A.J. started to struggle against the ventilator and wake up. Rick jumped up to comfort him. "A.J. it's ok, relax." Rick pressed the call button for the nurse.

Diane came quickly into the room, "Oh, he's awake. Great, I'll page the doctor."

Rick kept talking to A.J. while they waited for the doctor to arrive. "I'm right here A.J., you're in the hospital, don't try to talk." A.J. began pulling at the restraints. "Just relax, those will come off soon." Rick could see the fear and questions in A.J.'s eyes. "You are going to be fine, don't worry. I'm staying right here, you are o.k."

Dr. O'Daly walked into the room and went to work assessing A.J.'s condition. "Hi A.J., I'm Dr. O'Daly; are you going to stay with us this time?"

"Can he get that ventilator out now doc?" Rick asked.

"That may be a bit premature." The doctor looked at the report from the ventilator. "This is a great improvement. A.J., let's get those restraints off first." A.J. started motioning with his hands as soon as they were loose. "I know you want it out. But, I'd like it to stay in for a bit longer." A.J. motioned that he wanted it out.

"Is there a reason he can't have it out now?" Rick asked. "I can tell you he will have a hard time relaxing with it in."

"I don't want to take the risk that it will have to go back in." replied the doctor. "We lower that risk by waiting."

"A.J. if I am going to take this out, I want you awake for a bit. If you have trouble we are going to have to intubate you again. Understand?" A.J. nodded. "Do you still want it out?" A.J. nodded again. "Ok A.J. deep breath; breathe out," A.J. coughed and gagged as the tube slid out of his throat. Rick couldn't help but wince at the sound. The nurse handed Rick a cup of ice chips to feed AJ then put a nasal cannula under his nose to give him some oxygen. "I going to let the neurologist know that you are awake."

Rick and AJ were left alone. "What happened to me?" AJ whispered.

"You were slipped some PCP at the diner."

"How's Phoebe doing?" _"Oh, no. A.J. doesn't know she was taken."_ Rick was saved from having to answer when the neurologist walked in.

"I hear you are ready for me Mr. Simon. I'm Dr. Nelson and what I am going to do is just test your reflexes and take a look at your EEG."

"_EEG?"_ A.J. looked around and suddenly realized that he had wires stuck to his head. "_Why do I have that?"_

"Can we get rid of that?" A.J. asked

"Be good," growled Rick. Relieved as he was to have A.J. awake, he was now going to have to deal with a stubborn, sick brother that would only think about leaving the hospital even if he was too weak to get out of bed.

"Let me check you out first and then I can talk to Dr. O'Daly about it when that can happen."

Rick watched the doctors face closely for signs of concern as he tested A.J.

"Your reflexes are a little slow, but that is to be expected. Can you feel this, this. Good; what about here and here." The neurologist went to read the EEG.

"Rick, what happened, why do I need an EEG?"

The neurologist turned and looked at Rick. "He has only really been fully awake for 5 minutes. I haven't had time to tell him much" Rick explained.

"Well, Mr. Simon, the overdose caused you to suffer some seizures, and to make a long story short, they put you in a drug induced coma. You needed the EEG to monitor your brain so they knew how much medication you needed to keep you in the coma and also watch for seizure activity. Some seizures are easy to miss; they can even happen while you are sleeping. If we miss them, the EEG won't. See here; it looks like you had one for about 20 seconds while you were asleep. I am going to put you on some Dilantin, an anti seizure medication. It will go in your IV tonight but, we will be giving it to you in a pill as soon as you start eating. If..

"I'm having seizures," AJ interrupted alarmed.

"They are a side effect of the drug overdose and we have every reason to believe that they will go away on their own fairly quickly. The most important thing is to protect you from the side effects that can come with seizures. The EEG will have to stay on for now. I'm just going to give Dr. O'Daly a report. I'll be visiting you on rounds again tomorrow morning. Have a good night." A.J. closed his eyes as he tried to process this information in his exhausted state.

"A.J., open your eyes, no sleeping for now." Rick demanded

A.J. sighed, "I'm not sleeping, just tell me everything."

Rick turned away and looked out the window.

"Please Rick."

"Later." "_Much later."_

Dr. O'Daly entered the room, surprised to see the Simon's looking so sullen. "I just finished talking to Dr. Nelson. Everything is looking pretty good. I am pleased. I know you are probably concerned about the small seizure that A.J. suffered in his sleep but, that won't change his prognosis or our treatment. A.J. I'm going to make you a little bit more comfortable and get rid of some more equipment. Rick you can step out if you like while I remove some of these tubes."

Relieved, Rick took the opportunity to escape to the waiting room.

"Rick won't tell me what happened. Why not?" A frustrated A.J. asked the doctor.

"You both have been through a lot today. I think he believed he might lose you. For now, let's focus on helping you recover enough to go home. Once, I'm done here I am going to send in some food, liquid for now, and then give you some Dilantin in your I.V. It will make you sleepy so you'll most likely go back to sleep for the night."

* * *

In the waiting room, Rick was talking to Town on the phone. "A.J. is awake. He is doing o.k. but, can you come see him? He is asking questions about what happened. He asked about Phoebe and we were interrupted but, if he asks again, I won't be able to lie to him. Oh, good. I'll be in the waiting room. Yeah, the ICU, we are still here."

Rick knew he could wait no longer to call his mom and dialed her number. _"What do I tell her to keep her from panicking? Once she hears my voice she will know how bad it was." _ This is Cecilia Simon, please leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. _"Thank God, I can avoid this conversation a bit longer." _Hi Mom, it's Rick. Are you there? Um, well I guess you are out. Everything is going to be fine but, A.J. is at the hospital. Someone slipped him a drug. The doctor says he'll sleep through the night so no need to come right now. I'll call you in the morning and we can make arrangements to come and get him."

That task finally finished, Rick sat waiting for Town to arrive. As his thoughts became more agitated, his stood and began to pace. Rick had a lot to think about. _"Why is it always A.J? I have to admit to myself that I can't always be there to protect him. What if I wasn't there? If he hadn't gotten help immediately he might have died. How long can I keep this up? I don't think I could survive if I lost him. Maybe we should shut down the agency." _ They had both been in danger many times but Rick almost always felt like he could control the outcome somehow. This time he really thought that A.J. was going to die.

"Rick?" Rick stopped pacing and realized he had to calm down.

"Oh, hi Town, thanks for coming. You can go back. I cleared it with the staff. If you could just sit with him for a while, he is supposed to get some dinner. Just try to find a topic that won't upset him. You can tell him I'll be back soon."

As soon as Town left, Rick sat down and turned on the T.V. _"Maybe I'll watch the game."_

_

* * *

_

Town walked up to the nurse's station. "Hi, I am a friend of the Simons, is it ok for me to go sit with A.J. for a bit?"

Diane looked up from her charts, "Oh, yes, Rick told me you would be coming. I am sure A.J. will be glad to have you. We just finished up with him and are going to give him some dinner. Here it comes now. Why don't you come with me?"

As they walked into A.J.'s room Town was glad to see A.J. sitting up in his bed, devoid of much of the machinery that was helping keep him alive in the E.R.

"A.J., I brought you something to eat." Diane gestured to the tray of liquid foods. "We just want to see if you are having any trouble with nausea but, don't feel that you need to eat it all. Just give me a call when you are finished. O.K.?"

A.J. looked up and nodded then smiled when he saw Town standing in the doorway. "Come on in." A.J. whispered and motioned to the chair next to the bed.

"How are you feeling?" asked Town as he sat down.

"I'd feel better if this were a steak" A.J. joked as he motioned to his tray. "O.K. I think, just tired."

"Are you going to eat that?"

"Maybe I'll try just the jello."

"So umm," Town searched for a safe topic. "What do you think the Chargers chances are tonight?"

A.J. and Town, mostly Town, chatted about the football team as A.J. worked at the jello.

Suddenly, A.J. grabbed the railing on his bed. "Town," he said in fear "why is the room spinning?"

"Are you ok?" A.J. slammed his eyes shut and started to hyperventilate. Afraid, Town went to the door and yelled, "Something's wrong."

Diane came running in "A.J. what's wrong?"

"Spinning," A.J. gasped as he started to panic, "I can't breathe."

Diane put the oxygen mask over his face and lowered the head of the bed. "Where's Rick?"

Town ran out to the waiting room.

"Rick, something's wrong!" Startled, Rick jumped up and hurried back to A.J.'s room.

Heart racing, Rick stood in the door of his brother's room and watched Diane try to calm him down.

"It's ok A.J. you can breathe. You are having a panic attack. You just need to calm down. Breathe into the mask." Diane looked up and motioned to Rick. "Can you come help me with A.J.?"

"Hey little brother, you are o.k.?" Rick said as he touched A.J.'s shoulder.

A.J. opened his eyes. "Ca..can't breathe" A.J. choked out. Rick was alarmed at how much A.J. seemed to be struggling.

"Rick, he is fine, he is having a panic attack. Here," she placed one of A.J.'s hands on Rick's chest. "Hold his hand here. A.J., slow down your breathing. Breathe with your brother."

Rick looked into his brother's eyes that were full of fear and pleading and Rick was taken back to when they were children. Rick saw that look many times, especially after their father died. Until they were older teens, A.J. thought Rick was strong enough to fix anything and Rick tried to live up to that. He hadn't seen that look in over 20 years and was just as afraid now as he was then that he couldn't be enough for A.J.

"Close your eyes little brother. Just feel me breathing." Rick forced himself to slow down his breathing. "Breathe with me. In. Out. In. Out." Slowly A.J.'s breathing became less labored and he started to keep rhythm with Rick.

"Rick, your doing great," Diane encouraged. "Just hold this mask with your free hand; I'll be back in a minute."

Rick was surprised to see Town's hand take hold of the mask as he moved to stand where Diane has just been. "Let me hold that for you Rick." Rick looked at Town questioningly as he handed him a tissue. Town pointed to his face and Rick reached up to find his face wet. He didn't realize that he had been crying. Rick hastily wiped his face as Diane came back into the room.

"A.J. can you open your eyes for me now?" Diane asked as she took the mask from Town and removed it from A.J.'s face. A.J. tentatively opened his eyes; realized the room was no longer spinning and gave them a tired smile. "I have some medication for your I.V. Once I put it in it you will probably go right to sleep."

A.J. closed his eyes and Rick continued to watch his brother's face until it relaxed into sleep. He realized that he still held his brother hand to his chest. Rick gently placed his A.J.'s hand under the blanket. "Town, can you wait for me out in the waiting room? I'll be right out."

"Diane, what happened to him?" Rick demanded.

"You brother got dizzy and started to hyperventilate. It could have been caused by small amounts of PCP still in his system or just the amount of trauma he has endured today. He was afraid and started to have a panic attack. Once he calmed down, he was fine." Diane explained. "Look, A.J. should sleep through the night and you look like you could use some rest. Why don't you go home and we will call you if he has any problems during the night."

"I just want a moment alone with him and then I'll go." Rick stood by A.J.'s bed gripping the railing as he tried to get his emotions under control. He knew in his head that A.J. would be fine but, his heart was trying to play catch up. Rick knew he couldn't do anything to help his brother just standing by his bed. He left A.J.'s room determined to help him the best way he could.


	7. Slither, Missing Scene Part 6

Thank you so much for the kind reviews. I am finally finished with this story. Unless, I do some sort of continuation after the episode. I wasn't too happy with this last chapter. I had difficulty trying to have their mother enter the story. I also had a hard time trying to find Rick's character in a situation that would never be seen in an episode. I kindof felt like I was losing focus on who he would be. I didn't have the same problem with Town. He seems like a pretty easy character to peg. Rick is a pretty complicated guy. I finally decided to just finish it and let it be after several weeks of trying to find the right transition between that night and the last scene, which was actually written before I started part 2.

I would like to continue to do missing scene stories. Hopefully I can find the time. If anyone has any episodes they are dying to see explored let me know and maybe I'll pick that one, provided it airs on Netflix.

* * *

"Rick, are you crazy?" Town exclaimed. "How much sleep have you had in the last 2 days. You won't do him any good if you get yourself hurt."

"The best way I can help him is to find Phoebe! You know how he is! What do you think it will do to him if something happens to her?" Rick countered. "The best medicine for him is to wake up in the morning to the news that she is back home."

Town searched for the words, any words, that would have the power to dissuade Rick from his plan of action. He knew it was futile. The only one with that power right now was asleep in the ICU.

"All right," Town gave in, "but, I want you checking in."

"I'll call to check in with the station every hour to let them know where I am and find out if they have anything new. I will also call the hospital each hour to check on A.J. The hospital knows that if anything happens they should call the station."

"Fine, but if you miss a check in, I'll be out looking for you!" Huffed Town, "and if you find something, call for backup before you go in!"

* * *

Rick kicked the tires of his truck in frustration. No sign of Phoebe. All the kids on the street had gone mute. He didn't blame them; they were afraid. The only good news this morning was that A.J. was awake and had been moved to a regular room. This meant he was doing better and that their mother would not be walking into the ICU to visit with A.J. Rick got in the truck to go pick her up, hoping that he would be able to keep from her the full details of what A.J. had endured yesterday.

* * *

"Come in Rick, just let me grab my bag and I'll be ready to go," called out Cecilia Simon. "Do you think A.J. will be ready to come home when we get there?"

"I don't know, Mom. They weren't really sure how long it would take until all of the drugs left his system. They gave him something to help flush it out but, I don't know how long they want to monitor him." Rick tried to keep his tone casual so as not to cause his mother any worry.

"I'm ready." Cecelia walked to the door and got her first good look at Rick. "You look terrible sweetheart! What's wrong?"

"I was out all night looking for Phoebe and I didn't find her. I didn't get any sleep last night." Rick admitted.

"Maybe you should get some rest and I'll go pick up A.J."

"No, mom, I'll be ok. I have to meet with Town at the station in a couple of hours anyway." Rick opened the door to his truck and helped his mom step up into it.

As Rick drove them to the hospital they chatted about their concern for Phoebe and her parents. "Mom, A.J. doesn't know that we haven't found Phoebe yet. Um, we actually had her yesterday for a short time but, when A.J. was drugged someone grabbed her. I'll tell him, but I want to wait a little while."

Cecilia frowned in concern, "Do you think it is best to keep it a secret? Isn't it better for you to be honest with each other and work it out together?"

"Mom, just trust me on this. He will find out but, give me a little time to find the right moment to talk to him about it."

* * *

"322, 324, 326, here we are, 328." Rick peered through the window into A.J.'s room and smiled. His brother was sitting up; eating his breakfast and it looked like he was flirting with his nurse. Rick held to do open for his mother to enter.

"Sweetheart, how are you? Do you need anything?" Gushed Cecelia as she moved to sit in the chair the nurse had placed next to the bed before leaving.

"No, Mom, I feel fine," replied A.J. "I am hoping I'll get out of here soon."

A.J. frowned momentarily as he glanced at his brother. Something was definitely wrong but, knowing Rick; he wouldn't give the information with their mother in the room.

"Mom, I was wondering if you would be willing to go get me some clean clothes from the house." A.J. asked.

"Sure honey, I'd be happy to but, Rick drove me here so I don't have a car."

"I can take you mom," interjected Rick

"No honey, I can take a cab, that way you won't miss your meeting with Town. I won't be long." Cecilia kissed A.J. good-bye and walked out of the room.

"What is going on?" demanded A.J.

"Nothing," Insisted Rick

"I can see you are hiding something!" Pushed A.J. "Why do you have a meeting with Town. What aren't you telling me?"

Rick resigned himself to telling A.J. the truth, "What do you remember from yesterday, before the hospital?"

A.J. closed his eyes and thought, "Phoebe called her parents and we found her. Um, after that, did we stop somewhere?"

Rick nodded, "We stopped at a diner to get her some food. That is where you were drugged and while I was trying to calm you down, someone grabbed her."

"WHAT! Where is she? I need to get out of here and look for her!"

Unfortunately, Rick got the reaction he expected from his brother.

"You haven't been discharged. The doctor needs to see you first and tell you when you can leave. He may not even let you leave today."

"I saw Dr. Norton this morning. He came in and did some tests and removed the EEG before they moved me to this room. He said I was doing great."

"I meant Dr. O'Daly." Rick countered.

"Well, have him paged then. I'll wait for him to get here and then I am leaving."

"You'll do exactly what he tells you to do." Demanded Rick

A.J. looked at him defiantly. Rick knew that if A.J. had made up his mind there was nothing he could do to dissuade him. Rick stormed out of the room to the nurse's station.

"Can you page Dr. O'Daly? My brother wants to leave."

"But he hasn't been discharged and I don't know that Dr. O'Daly is even here yet." Replied the confused nurse.

"Please, my brother is insisting on leaving but, he is willing to wait until he sees Dr. O'Daly."

The nurse picked up the phone and dialed the doctor's pager number while Rick waited. "You can go wait with your brother if you would like to," she suggested.

"No, I'll just stay here." Rick didn't feel like fielding A.J.'s questions.

After only a couple of minutes Dr. O'Daly called the nurse back. "Oh, you are in the building. Can you come to the third floor? A.J. Simon is insisting that he leave. Yes, his brother is here. I'll let him know."

"Dr. O'Daly is on his way up. He shouldn't be more than a minute or two. You can wait here."

* * *

"Hi, Rick, how is your brother doing this morning?" Greeted Doctor O'Daly.

"Stubborn! Actually, he seems to feel great but, he wants to leave. There is a missing girl we are looking for and this case is the reason A.J. was drugged. He wants to go out and help look for her." Rick explained as they walked towards A.J.'s room.

"I can't imagine that he is ready for that kind of activity," replied the doctor. "Let's go see him and then I'll take a look at his chart and go over it with both of you."

"Good Morning A.J. you are looking much better today. Do you remember me? I am Dr. O'Daly."

"I think so, I remember some people in the room but, it is a little fuzzy."

"That is to be expected, you were heavily sedated for much of the day. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, I just want to leave."

"No matter how well you are feeling right now, that is not advisable. You really need to be monitored. How about I go look at Dr. Nelson's report from this morning and your readings from overnight. Then I'll come back in and talk about when you can leave."

A.J. just nodded as the doctor left the room. He knew that no matter what the doctor said, he would be leaving this hospital with Rick to go look for Phoebe.

"_There is no way I am going to get A.J. to agree to staying in the hospital," _thought Rick. "A.J., I'm gonna catch a quick nap while we wait for the doctor because I have a feeling it is going to be a long day.

* * *

Half and hour later Dr. O'Daly pulled a chair up to A.J.'s bed and sat down with a sigh. "A.J. please understand that I am not in favor of discharging you today. I would like you monitored here for at least 24 hours to make sure you are on the right dose of anti-seizure medication. I have your discharge paperwork, including a form for you to fill out indicating that you are leaving against medical advice in anticipation of your decision to leave anyway. Rick, the discharge instructions are all here but I want to make sure you understand what problems to watch for. If you see any of those symptoms you are to return him to the E.R. Do you both understand?"

Rick and A.J. nodded in agreement.

"Well, then, let's go over a few things. A.J. absolutely no alcohol. No medication, even over the counter, unless it is cleared by me. And, you are not allowed to drive until you get medical clearance."

"What!" a surprised A.J. exclaimed. "How am I supposed to do my job?"

"Actually, A.J., no work for at least the next few days and then you stick to your office until you can drive. It shouldn't be more than two weeks, IF you follow my instructions. If it is necessary, I can make it official and have your drivers license medically suspended but, I don't want to do that to you as it will make it more difficult for you to have it reinstated. I know you think you are fine but, you body has been through a lot in the last day. Your CAT scan was clear but, you suffered multiple seizures and there is still a small chance that you could have another. I want you on a low dose of Dilantin for the next three days and I will give you clearance to work and drive after you have been seizure free, undedicated, for a full week."

Defeated, A.J. just closed his eyes and sank back into his pillow. Rick silently motioned to the doctor to leave the room. "A.J., I have to go sign some papers, I'll be back." Rick said and he followed the doctor into the hallway.

"I think A.J. needs a few minutes. You can go over the rest of the instructions with me. He isn't likely to remember it all right now anyway. He is just thinking about finding Phoebe. I have to be honest, once we walk out of here, he won't take a break until we find that girl. I can try but, he is bullheaded."

The doctor grimaced, "I can see that."

"What else do I need to know?"

The doctor watched the obviously exhausted and anxious man standing in front of him. "First, you need to know that in a few days, your brother should be just fine. But, he needs rest and so do you. He needs to be monitored for the next two days. He shouldn't be left alone so get some help. He may still have some PCP in his system for several days. He is likely to seem a little off until he stops taking the Dilantin. I have a list of symptoms to watch for. If any of them persist please return him to the hospital. Dizziness, numbness in the extremities, nausea, anxiety, mild paranoia. As long as the episodes are brief you won't need to bring him in until his follow up appointment the day after tomorrow. His emotional reactions may also seem to be a little extreme. He may have difficulty with sensory overload so the best thing for him is to rest in a dim or dark room." Rick snorted

"That's gonna be difficult Doc."

"He may be just fine Rick, but because we can't monitor him, he is risking more serious complications. He suffered at least four seizures yesterday, one lasting almost ten minutes. If you see any sign that he is suffering from a seizure call an ambulance immediately. Any questions?"

"Yeah, how do I explain all this to my mother?" Rick replied with a sad laugh.

"I can call her if you like"

"No I don't want to scare her. I'll need to ask for her help anyway." He sighed.

Rick was still standing at the nurse's station when Cecelia walked back in. "Rick, are you ok?"

"Oh, hi Mom, yeah I'm fine, just thinking about Phoebe. A.J. is ready to go but, I think he is coming with me to meet with Town." Rick replied.

"Do you think that is wise? He is just leaving the hospital."

"Probably not Mom, but he won't rest until we find Phoebe. Don't worry; I'll take care of him. Will you be at home later? Can I bring him to your house later on today?"

"Of course honey, just call me and let me know if you are coming?"

"Thanks" Rick replied. "Why don't you go in and say hi while I finish his paperwork here. When you are finished A.J. and I will head to the police station."

After his mother left, Rick walked back into the room. "Get up A.J., let's get out of here," he said as he threw his brother's clothes at him. "Let's go home."

"Not a chance, Rick."

"_It was worth a try."_

_

* * *

_

Note: I was trying to decide if we should follow A.J.'s recovery and its effects on his family a little bit past the end of the episode. Thoughts?


	8. Chapter 8

Hi,

As you can see I changed the title. When I started my first fanfic, I thought that I could write a bunch of one shots for scenes from Simon and Simon. While writing my first one, I found that impossible to do and it turned into a multi chapter story. I changed the name because any future stories will have their own posting. I hope to write a follow-up to this story sometime but, right now I am working on a piece about the aftermath of the fire set in the lab during the episode A Significant Obsession.


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